The very best places to visit in Florence

Florence is one of those cities that has always captured the imagination. Steeped in centuries of history and surrounded by romantic Tuscan countryside, it has a dusky beauty that is further elevated by the elegance of the locals who make their hometown a serious contender for best dressed city in the world.

I’ve only ever passed through Florence for a couple of days at a time, usually on the way to somewhere else, and always leave wishing I’d had more time to soak up everything that makes this Renaissance city so very special. So when I found myself looking for somewhere in Europe to spend a couple of weeks this past Christmas with my partner and our travelling puppy, it didn’t take long for us to settle on the capital of Tuscany as our destination.

The view from Piazzale Michelangelo. (Photo: Alex Lalak)

Wanting a true Florentine experience, we decided to bypass the touristy city centre and instead found an apartment in the San Frediano neighbourhood, located south of the Arno river and a little to the west. Just a short walk to the Ponto Vecchio, the famous bridge covered in tiny shops and a swarm of visitors – yet a completely different world. San Frediano was once an impoverished part of town, but these days its narrow cobble-stoned streets are filled with artisan workshops, vintage boutiques, hidden bars and affordable trattorias beloved by the locals.

An apartment worked for us, due to the length of our stay, but on future (shorter) visits I plan to book a room at Horto Convento, a four-star hotel located in a renovated convent. The hotel has a small carpark that is free for guests and a lifesaver if you have a hire car, because parking can be scarce and expensive in central Florence.

Despite having to navigate the complicated street parking laws, we were glad to have a car at our disposal as we ventured into the countryside on several occasions. For our first adventure we drove to the village of Corella, about an hour from Florence, to meet with Giacomo Boccaccini and his chocolate cocker spaniel Lupo (who we had found through Airbnb Experiences) for a morning of truffle hunting in the woods near his home. Post-hunt, we settled in Giacomo’s cosy kitchen and watched as our host, a trained chef, prepared us an indulgent three-course lunch featuring almost absurd quantities of both black and white truffles, shaved generously over freshly baked focaccia topped with burrata, as well as homemade pasta and chestnut cake.

Truffle hunting with Giacomo and Lupo. (Photo: Alex Lalak)

Another day, we went on a pilgrimage to another small village called Montespertoli on an equally important mission: to buy some superb local olive oil. We had tasted this particular oil on our first night in Florence at Trattoria Sostanza, an old-school eatery with marble topped tables where the spectacular bistecca (a thick Florentine T-bone steak grilled over coals) is simply served with a bottle of olive oil on the side as the only condiment. This perfect peppery golden drop could only be purchased directly from the makers, we were told. So off we went to the Fattorie Parri estate where we were warmly welcomed by the owner Paola, a third-generation winemaker and oil producer, and given an extensive tasting of her creations.

These daytrips were highlights, but the rest of our time in Florence was equally memorable as we soaked up the beauty of the city. We spent days simply wandering the streets, meandering into shops and people-watching in cafes and wine bars. We paid our respects at the Uffizi Gallery and Pitti Palace (where we quickly learned it was best to prebook slots as early in the day as possible, ideally when they open at 8:30am, for the lightest crowds). Another day, feeling energetic, we trekked up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, a vast lookout with a spectacular view of Florence.

I spent a wonderful couple of hours on Christmas eve morning rubbing shoulders with the locals in the Mercato Centrale stocking up on ingredients to cook up a festive feast over the days when I knew all the good restaurants would be closed. Spoiled for choice, I let myself go a little wild and filled my bags with an array of treats. Handmade ravioli filled with lemon scented ricotta. A little string sack of perfect vongole (clams) ready to be cooked with garlic and white wine. Crisp green bundles of arugula and pale pink rosebuds of radicchio. A wedge of pecorino cheese threaded with veins of truffle. A rosy joint of pork dusted in herbed salt and ready for roasting. Juicy slices of artichoke flatbread.

Plump local tomatoes at Mercato Sant’Ambrogio. (Photo: Alex Lalak)

Another day, I walked across the city to the Mercato Sant’Ambrogio, a small indoor market popular with locals. Most of the market holders spoke little English but were happy to communicate using gestures and smiles and my 10-odd words of Italian. Here I stocked up on edible treats to take home, such as tubes of anchovy paste and pepperoncino, vacuum-packed wedges of aged parmesan and paper bags of zolfino beans, the thin-skinned white pulse beloved in the region.

The Tuscans are known across Italy as ‘bean-eaters’ due to their passion for this humble pulse and we found it on the menu at nearly every restaurant, either simply boiled and crowned with a swirl of punchy local olive oil or swimming in a gentle sauce of tomatoes. We found ourselves quickly seduced by its rustic simplicity and ordered it nearly every time we ate out, which was almost daily.

This was possible because we discovered the restaurants in Florence, particularly in San Frediano, are remarkably affordable. Of course, Florence has some impressive high-end eateries, if that’s what you’re after. But on this trip we were all about embracing the local experience and that meant sticking to no-frills trattorias. Armed with recommendations from those in the know (including our new Tuscan friends, Giacomo and Paola, who both grew up in Florence) we set about systematically eating our way through the neighbourhood.

At I’Brindellone we delighted at their ribollita (traditional Tuscan bread soup) but the dish I would go back for daily if I lived in Florence is their famous truffle pasta. Long strands of homemade tagliarini lightly bathed in butter and cream then smothered with freshly shaved black gold, a steal at just 10 euros a plate.

Equally good value was to be found at Trattoria Sabatino, a canteen-style eatery so popular with locals that there’s a long queue outside each night of would-be diners patiently waiting for a table. On repeat visits we learned to go early (they don’t do reservations) and order big. The menu changes daily and we loved the pureed minestrone with barley and the delicate pennette pasta with chicken liver ragu, but everything is excellent and you have to try hard to spend more than 20 euros a head.

Don’t miss the house penne at Alla Vecchia Bettola. (Photo: Alex Lalak)

On the last night we treated ourselves to dinner at Alla Vecchia Bettola, which is the kind of restaurant you wish you had back home. Nearly every table orders the house penne (dressed in a memorable tomato/vodka sauce) for good reason, so we followed suit, but discovered everything on the menu is good and you can ask the English-speaking waiters for recommendations.

For pre-dinner drinks, we headed to the terrace of the Palazzo Guadagni for an Aperol spritz with a shimmering view of the city’s rooftops. Post-dinner, we’d sometimes stop in at the speakeasy Rasputin for a clandestine cocktail, although the nearby Piazza Santo Spirito is home to several charming bars with outdoor tables that were perfect for people-watching when the weather allowed.

By the end of two weeks, we felt like we had been there a month and temporarily integrated ourselves as locals (in our minds, anyway). Then with bags full of carefully wrapped olive oil bottles and sacks of dried beans, we set off home, savouring the memory of our Florentine Christmas.